Meter-control panel-board.



F. B. ADAM;

METER CONTROL PANEL BOARD. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

Patentd June 9, 1914 2 BHEETk-SHEET 1.

F. E. ADAM.

1 METER CONTROL PANEL BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED APILG, 1912,

Patented June 9, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRI'GK B. AD-AM, ()F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIG-NOR'TO FRANK ADAM ELECTRIC CQMPANY, 0F 'ST. LOUIS, MESSGURI, A COBEOEATION OF MISSOURI.

METER-CONTROL PANEL-BOARD.

Specification-of Letters I'aten-t.

ratented June 9, 1914.

Application filed s in 6, 19m. sewn nastiness.

To all wiwmgit may concern board than those heretofore in use.

Be it known that I, FRnnRIoK B. ADAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis Missouri, have invented a oer-tam new and useful Improvement in Meter-Control PaneLBoards, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art 'to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to'mcter control panel boards of the type which the meter 1 us bars are arranged 1n two groups in superimposed relation on the front face or side of the board.

One object of my invention is to provide 9 a meter control panel board of the type' Another object is to provide a meter contro'l panel board of the character above-de-' scribed in which the circuit bus bars are arranged in such a manner with relation to the meter bus bars that the bus bar connecting; devices are located outside of the two groups I of meter bus bars instead of between the two groups of meter bus bars, as in the meter control panel boards of this type heretofore 1 in use, thus enabling the proper meter and circuit bus bars to be selected quickly and connected together without liability of making a mistake.

Another object is to provide a meter control panel boardcomprising meter and circuit bus bars andconnec'tmg devices which are so constructed and arranged that a circuit bus bar cannot be connected either maliciously 'or accidentally to two meter bus bars on opposite sides of the system and.

1 set being designated by thereferenc'e charthus create a short circuit.

Another object is to provide a. meter control panel board in which the bus bar connecting devices are'so constructed that any attempt to changethe circuits or connect two or more circuits to one meter bus bar can be detected easily.

Another object is to provide a compact meter control panel board in which the meter terminals and fuses are mounted on the side lining of the board instead-of on the front face of the board, thereby producing a shorter and more compact panel And still another object is to provide a meter control panel board which is so constructed that the circuit Wires can be connected to the terminals on the front face of the board before the lining of the board is arranged in posit-ion.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention Will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevaftional view of ameter control panel board constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional View taken on approximately the line 2-2 i of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on approximately the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. alis an enlarged perspective view showing the panel arranged in an ap proximately horizontal position and illustrates the arrangement of the circuit and meter bus bars, and the bus bar connecting devices; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view partly in section of one of the bus bar connecting devices; and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional View taken Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A

' designates the board proper which may either consist of a single slab or panel of insulating material, or of a plurality of panels, depending upon the size of the board, and B designates the side lining which surrounds the board and projects forwardly from-the front face thereof, it being'understood that the board lies in a vertical plane when it is arranged in operative position. 'llwo sets of meter bus bars are arranged vertically on the front face of the board in superimposed relation to each other and parallel to the front face of the board, one

actor I and the other set by the reference character 1*. The meter bus barsl and 1 are supported and held in position by means of a plurality of superimposed blocks 2 of insulating material and the upper end of each of said meter bus bars is connected to a laterally projecting bus bar or branch to which one of the meter wires is connected, the branch bus bars that cotiperate with the meter bus bars 1 branching to the right and being designated by the reference character 3 and those that coiiperate with the meter on the line '66 of bus bar 1 branching to the left and being designated by the reference character 3 as shown in Fig. '1. The neutral bus bar 1 is herein shown arranged adjacent the lower end of the board and is provided with two upwardly projecting branches st that extend parallel to the meter bus bars.

The circuit bus bars a surround or inclose the meter bus bars and project forwardly from the front face of the board, said circuit, bus bars preferably consisting of thin strips of metal that are bent cdgewise into substantially U form, as shown in Fig. 4-. The board lies in a vertical plane whcn it" is arranged in operative position dud consequently the bus bars 5 extend horizontally across the front face of the board, one above the other, one leg or side portion of each of said bars being connected to a bifurcated insula ting post 0 that projects forwardly from the front face of the board. The other leg or side portion of each of the circuit bus bars :3 is connected to a pair of cars or wings on a circuit terminal T, as shown in Fig. l, the companion terminal 7' being connected to one branch l" of the neutral bus bar, as shown in Fig. 1. l uses 8 of any preferred type or design are combined with the circuit, terminals 7 and 7 so as to protect the circuits.

The meter and circuit bus bars are connected together by bus bar connecting devices C which are preferably adjustably mounted on the circuit bus bars 5, and comprise means for securely clamping them to said circuit bus bars, said devices G being arranged on the legs or side portions of the circuit bus bars when they are in service. As shown in Fig. l, 5 and (3, each of the bus bar connecting devices 0 consists of a member provided at its inner end with a bifurcated portion 9 for receiving the meter bus bar with which it cooperates, and a second bifurcated portion 10 that receives the circuit bus bar on which it is mounted the slots or openings in said bifurcated portions 9 and 10 being arranged at approximately right angles to each other. The outer end of the bifurcated portion of the device C is screwthreaded at 11 so as to cooperate with internal screw-threads on a clamping member 12 that is provided with. a beveled surface 13 which cotiperates with a tapered portion 14 on the bifurcated portion 10 located adjacent the screw-threads 11. Said clamping'member 12 has a knurled covering or cap 12 of insulating material so as to enable it to be screwed onto or off of the screwthreaded portion 11 of-the busbar connectlgfthereon engages the tapered surface 14 on the bifurcated portion 10- of the bus bar connecting device C and forces the sides of the bus bar 5 on which the device C is mounted, thus securely clamping said device in ad usted pos1t1on. When the clampmg member 12 is turned in the opposite direction the device C will, of course, be released from its supporting circuit bus bar. After .the bus bar connecting device C has been released it can be drawn laterally, away from the group i its supporting bus bar toward or away from.

the panel A. into position to engage the meter bus bar which it is desired to connect to the circuit bus bar on which said device 0 is mounted, it being possible to connect either circuit bus bar to any meter. bar on the board by simply'moving the particular bus bar connecting device 0 longi-- tudinally of the supporting circuit bus bar. In view of the fact that the bus bar connectin meter bars instead of between the two sets of meter bus bars, the operator can quickly select the meter and circuit bus bars which he desires to connect together without liability of making an error.

' In order to eliminate the possibility of two bus bar connecting devices C being ar-' ranged on the same circuit bus bar either accidentally or maliciously, I prefer to provide each of the bus bar connecting devices G with means that prevents it from being removed bodily from its supporting circuit bus bar after it has been arranged in operative position thereon by the manufacturer. The means herein shown for preventing the complete removal of the bus bar connecting devices consists of a pin 15 in each bus bar connecting device that extends transversely through the bifurcated portion 10 thereof at such a. point that it does not interfere with the movement of said device relatively to its supporting circuit bus bar when it is desired to withdraw the bifurcated portion 9 from engagement with its cooperating meter bar but it does prevent-said device 0 from being slipped off or bodily removed from its supporting circuit bus bar in casethe cla )ing member 12 is completely removed. C0 sequently, with a meter control panel board of the construction above-described there is no possibility of two meter bus bars .'on opposite sides of the system beingaccidentally c devices 0 are located outside of the" connected to the same'circuit bus bar, and I thus causing a short circuit .to-b'e created because there is only one bus" bar connecting device mounted on each circuit bus bar and it mounted thereon in such a "manner that it cannot bebodily removed after it has been arranged in position by the manufacturer,-

without mutila'ting or breaking said device.

desired, means may be provided for *said bifurcated nn-rtion 10 tightly against l loclrii the clamping members 12 of the bus 'nected together by an authorized nuances bar connecting devices C so as to prevent a dishonest person from changing the circuits or-arranging two or more circuits on the same meter bus bar. One means that may be used for accomplishing this consists of'a set screw 16 adjustably mounted in the clamping member 12 of each of the bus bar connecting devices in such a manner that it can be projected inwardly into the slot in thebifurcated portion 10 after the clamping member 12 has been screwed down, thus securely locking said clamping member sot-hat it cannot be turned in the reverse direction to release the bus bar connecting device CL After the circuit and meter bus bars have been conperson the set screws 16in the clamping member 12 of each bus bar connecting device is screwed inwardly so that it will project into the slot of the bifurcated portion 10 and a drop of sealing-wax 17, or some other suitable 'material, is placed in the hole in the covering 12 of the member 12 through which said 1 set screw is inserted so as to seal the clamping member and thus prevent an unauthon ized rson from releasing the device C and shifting it onto a different meter bar. I, of course, do not wish to be understood as meaning that the screws 16 and seal 17 in the clamping member 12 of each bus bar connecting device absolutely locks said device or prevents its'position being changed, but I do claim that with a bus bar connecting device C of the character above-described a person who has charge of the meter panel board can readily detect any attempt to change the circuits or put two or more circuits on the same meter.

In order to reduce the size of the panel ;A and thus produce a compact meter control panel board I have arranged the meter terminals 18 and the meter fuses 19 on the side lining B of the board, as shown in Figs. land 2', instead of on the front face of the board, as is now the general practice,-

the terminals 18. being connected to the me ter bus bar branches 3 and 3 by means of wires,-not-shown,-that pass through openings in the side linig B and extend along the outside-face of said lining. It is not absolutely essential, however, that the meter terminals and meter fuses be arranged in .this manner but I prefer such a construction because it enables me to use a shorter panel A than those of the boards now in general use in which the meter terminals are mounted directly on the lower end portion of the panel.

Prior to my invention it was the usual practice to cut holes in the side lining B of the board so as to permit the circuit and in through said holes and connected to the terminals on the front face of the board. Said holes were generally cut in the side lining at the time position.

' makin the board was being installed and consequently a great deal of time was consumed in setting up a meter control panel board. Furthermore, the wires could not be connectcd to the terminals on the board until after the side lining had been arranged in To overcome these objectionable :featurcs I cut slots or grooves 20 in the front face of the board adjacent the edges of same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, at the time the board is being manufactured so as to receive the various wires which are connected to the terminals on the board, said grooves being of suflicient depth so that the wires Wlll pass under the inner edge of the side lining B. Vv hen the board is being installed the workmen connect the wires to the terminals on. the front face of the board and arrange the wires in the grooves or notches 520 provided for same in the edge portions of the board. Thereafter, the side lining B is arranged in operative position. In this way I reduce the tnnerequlred to install the board and I also produce a more mechanically perfect structure than one in which the workmen form holes in the side lining at the time the board is being in stalled.

It is possible with a meter control panel board of the construction above-described to connect any circuit bus bar to any meter bus bar on the board owing to the fact that the circuit bus bars surround or inclose the two groups of meter bus bars which pass vertically through the circuit bus bars. The fact that all of the bus bars are located in plain View of the operator or the person the connection, and the fact that the bus bar connecting devices are adjustably mounted on the outer group of bus bars and are slipped over the outside edges of the meter bus bars, permits the proper bus bars to be selected easily and connected together without liability of making an error. Furthermore, such a board practically eliminates the possibility of a short circuit being created because the bus bar connecting devices are permanently mounted on their supporting bus bars and only one bus bar connecting device is provided for each circuit bus bar, thereby preventing a circuit bus bar from being accidentally connected to both sides of the system or to one meter bar of each group. The fact that the bus bar connecting devices may be sealed reduces to a minimum the liability of a dishonest person shifting the bus bar connecting devices so as to connect two or more circuits to the same meter, and when the meter terminals and fuses are arranged on the side lining of the board as herein shown, a great saving is elfected both in the cost of manufacturing the board and the space required to install the board.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A meter controlpanel board having a set of bus bars arranged one in front of the other in the same vertical plane on the front face of the board, and a second set of bus bars that are arranged one above the other and extend transversely of the board outside of the bus bars first referred to.

2. A meter control panel board having a set of substantially U-shaped bus bars that project forwardly from the front face of the board and which are arranged one above the other, a second set of bus bars arranged in superimposed relation to each other and passing through said U-shaped bus bars, and bus bar connecting devices slidingly mounted on said U-shaped bus bars and provided with handles or finger-pieces which extend beyond said U shaped bus bars.

3. A meter control panel board having separate sets of meter bus bars arranged on the front face of the board, one set being parallel to the other and the bars of each set being arranged in alinement, one in front of the other, and circuit bus bars that surround or embrace said'meter bus bars and extend transversely of same.

t. A meter control panel board having separate sets of meter busbars arranged on the front face of the board, one set be ing parallel to the other and the bars of each set being arranged one in front of the other in the same vertical plane, and sub-- stantially U-shaped circuit bus bars that project forwardly from the front face of the board and surround or embrace said meter bus bars, said U-shaped bars being arranged horizontally one above the other.

5. A meter control panel board having a set of bus bars arranged one in front of the other in vertical alinement on the front face of the board, a second set of bus bars that project forwardly from the front face of the board and extend at approximately right angles to the bus bars first referred to, and bus bar connecting devices mounted on said forwardly projecting bus bars that are adapted to engage the bars of the set first referred to so as to onnect the bus bar of one set to the bus bar of the other set with which it cooperates.

6. A meter control panel board having a set ofbus bars arranged in superimposed relation to each other on the front face of the board, a second set of bus bars that project forwardly from the front face of the board and extend at approximately right angles to said superimposed bus bars, and a bus bar connecting device adjustably mounted on each of said forwardly projecting bus bars and provided with a portion that is adapted to embrace one of said superimposed bus bars.

7 A meter control panel board having a nooaese set of bus arranged one in front of the other on the front face of the board, a second set of bus bars having portions that project forwardly from the front face of the board and portions that extend at approxi mately rightangles to the bus bars first referred to, and a bus bar connecting device 'sli dingly mounted on one of the forwardly projecting portions of each of said second set of bus bars and provided with a slotted or bifurcated portion that is adapted to receive one of the bus bars of the set first referred to.

S. A meter control panel board having a set of bus bars arranged in superimposed relation to each other on the front face of the board, a second set of bus bars that project forwardly from the front face of the board at approximately right angles to said superimposed bus bars, and adjustable bus bar connecting devices slidingly mounted on said forwardly projecting bus bars and provided with bifurcated portions that are adapted to embrace. one of said superimposed bus bars.

9. A meter control panel board compris ing bus bars arranged in superimposed relation to each other on the front face of the board, substantially U-shaped bus bars that project forwardly from'the front face of the. board and surround said superimposed bus bars, and bus bar connecting devices adjustably mounted on the. side portions of said U-shaped bus bars and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with said superimposed bus bars.

10. A meter control panel board having sets of meter bus bars that extend parallel to each other, the bars of each set being arranged one in front of the other on the front face of the board, substantially U-shaped circuit bus bars that embrace or surround said meter bus bars and extend transversely of same, and bus bar connecting devices mounted on the side legs of said circuit bus bars and constructed in such a manner that any circuit bus bar can be connected to any meter bus bar on the board.

11. A meter control panel board having sets of meter bus bars that extend parallel to each other, the bars of each set being arranged one in front of the other on the front 'face of the board, substantially U- shaped circuit bus bars that embrace or surround said meter bus bars and extend transversely of same, and bus, bar connecting devices mounted on the side legs of said circuit bus bars and each consisting of a member provided with a bifurcated portion through which the circuit bus bar passes, a

meter bus bars, and adjustable means for clamping said member tothe circuit bus bar on which it is mounted.

12. A meter controbpanel board having -pass, an adjustable clamping jmg member, {member for-"locking it in adjusted position, an e s medium sons to jofj-itheother, substantially bns'bars" that project forwardly from the front face of the board and surround both cuit bars, each of "which consists of a coiip'rat i 7 porting circuit bus bar, I'transverSely through said member for pre venting it from being from its supporting bus bar. -13. A meter-bus bars and circuit bus bars set edge- "wise "with relation to .ranged at approximately right angles, busv 'bar connecting devices having bifurcated of meter bus bars meter bus bars, said circuit bus bars 4 .being arranged horizontally one above the other, bus bar connecting devices slidingly mounted on the side legs of said circuit bus bars and adapted to be moved laterally into and out of engagement with the meter bus bars of either set, and means for clamping said bus bar connecting devices in adjusted position.

15. A meter control panel board having sets of meter bus bars arranged vertically on the front face of the board in superimposed relation to each other, substantially U- shaped circuit bus bars that project forwardly from the front face ofthe board and surround both sets of said circuit bus bars being arranged one above the other, bus bar connecting devices slidingly mounted on said circuit bus bars and adapted to be arranged in engagement with the meter bus bars of either set, means for clamping said bus bar connecting devices in adjusted position means for preventing said bus bar connecting devices from being completely removed from their supporting bus bars, and means for sealing said bus bar connecting devices so as to prevent an unauthorized person from moving them from the positions in which they have'been set. In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses, this second day of April 1912.

' FREDRICK B. -ADAM.

meter bus bars, circuit bus bars arranged JClgBWISG; with relation to sald meter bus bars, bus bar. connectlng devices on said onmember provi'ded' with a bifurcated portion for receiving its supportin circuit bus bar and a bifurcated portion or receiving its meter bar, a clamping member with one of said bifurcated portions fore amping said member'to its sup-, and a pin arranged completely removed meter control .panel board having each other and arportions through which said circuit bus bars v member on each of said evices for pressin one of the bifurcated portions of same tig tly against its sup rtmg lins'bar, a cap or finger-piece of ating material secured tosaid clampa set screw in said clamping said'cap for receiving a sealprevent an unauthorized rson from-releasingthe clamping member. @514. A -meter control panel board having arranged vertically board one in front U-shaped circuit onfthe front face of the l/Vitnesses:

\Vnnns L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

meter bus. bars, 

